Electronic device for reducing interference between a charging  coil and an antenna

ABSTRACT

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a battery; a non-contact near field communication antenna; a wireless charging coil; and a case covering the battery, wherein the wireless charging coil is positioned between the battery and the case, and wherein one of the non-contact near field communication antenna and the wireless charging coil is positioned to surround the other one of the non-contact near field communication antenna and the wireless charging coil.

PRIORITY

This application is a Continuation Application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/733,667, which was filed in the U.S. Patent andTrademark Office on Jan. 3, 2013, and claims priority under 35 U.S.C.§119(a) to a Korean Patent Application filed in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office on Jan. 4, 2012 and assigned Serial No. 10-2012-0000879,the entire content of each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to an electronic device, andmore particularly, to an electronic device for preventing a non-contactnear field communication antenna and a wireless charging coil fromoverlapping with each other.

2. Description of the Related Art

Electronic devices generally include devices such as portable terminals,mobile communication terminals, Portable Multimedia Players (PMPs),Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), and smart phones. Herein, the term“mobile communication terminals” refers to devices enable users tocommunicate with other users, while the user carries the terminal.

Recently, non-contact near field communication antennas and wirelesscharging coils have been included within the same electronic devices forimproving the convenience of such devices.

A non-contact near field communication antenna employs a Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) and Near Field Communication (NFC) for use in awireless tag technology.

Non-contact near field communication antennas may use a 13.56 MHzfrequency band, for example, to thereby enable wireless communicationbetween the electronic devices within a distance of about 10 centimetersusing a low amount of power. Non-contact near field communicationantennas are currently being used in wide ranges of applications, suchas electronic liquidation and identification of electronic devices.

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a configuration of aconventional non-contact near field communication antenna and a wirelesscharging device within an electronic device. FIG. 2 is a sidecross-sectional view enlarging a portion denoted with ‘A’ in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a non-contact near field communicationantenna 1 is located in a battery pack 4 of an electronic device (notshown).

The wireless charging device also includes a charger equipped withprimary coils (not shown) and an electronic device (not shown) equippedwith secondary coils 2, wherein the secondary coils produceelectromagnetically induced current from the electro-magnetic fieldoccurring in the primary coils. The secondary coils are located on abattery cover 5 of the electronic device. Accordingly, the wirelesscharging device charges the battery pack 4 of the electronic deviceusing induced current between the primary coils and the secondary coils.

As shown in FIG. 2, the secondary coils 2 include a shielding sheet 3for preventing interference with the antenna 1.

In conventional electronic devices that have a non-contact near fieldcommunication antenna and a wireless charging device, the use of theantenna does not cause any problems when the antenna is mounted alone.However, such as shown in FIG. 2, when the non-contact near fieldcommunication antenna 1 is mounted adjacent to the secondary coils 2 ofthe wireless charging device such that they overlap with each other, itis impossible to perform device recognition within a distance of 10centimeters, due to the interference between the components. Thus, theperformance and functions of the electronic device are degraded,therefore, such electronic devices are unable to provide functionssuitable for electronic liquidation.

Conventional shielding sheets are also constructed to fit to an entiresize of the antenna in order to prevent interference with the antenna.This required size increases production costs of such shielding sheets.

Configurations of related electronic devices including non-contact nearfield communication antennas and wireless charging devices are disclosedin Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0989587, registered on Oct. 18,2010, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Accordingly, there is a need for an electronic device with secondarycoils disposed outside or inside of an antenna in order to prevent thenon-contact near field communication antenna and the secondary coil ofthe wireless charging device from overlapping with each other.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention provides an electronicdevice with a wireless charging coil portion configured outside orinside a non-contact near field communication antenna to thereby preventthe non-contact near field communication antenna and the wirelesscharging coil portion from overlapping with each other, wherein theinterference between the antenna and the wireless charging coil portionis prevented and the recognition between the respective parts isimproved, and wherein the performance of the article and the function ofelectronic liquidation are improved.

Another aspect of the present invention provides an electronic devicewith a shielding portion formed along a shape of the wireless chargingcoil portion, so that the shielding portion is formed only along thewireless charging coil portion, instead of being formed on an areacorresponding to the entire conventional antenna to thereby decrease theproduction costs of articles within the electronic device, including thecost of manufacturing the shielding portion itself.

According to an aspect of the present invention, an electronic device isprovided. The electronic device includes a battery; a non-contact nearfield communication antenna; a wireless charging coil; and a casecovering the battery, wherein the wireless charging coil is positionedbetween the battery and the case, and wherein one of the non-contactnear field communication antenna and the wireless charging coil ispositioned to surround the other one of the non-contact near fieldcommunication antenna and the wireless charging coil.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an electronicdevice is provided. The electronic device includes a battery; anon-contact near field communication antenna; a wireless charging coil;and a case covering the battery, wherein the wireless charging coil ispositioned between the battery and the case, wherein one of thenon-contact near field communication antenna and the wireless chargingcoil is positioned to surround the other one of the non-contact nearfield communication antenna and the wireless charging coil, wherein thenon-contact near field communication antenna is positioned between thebattery and the wireless charging coil, and wherein the non-contact nearfield communication antenna is spaced from the wireless charging coil bya predetermined distance to prevent an interference between thenon-contact near field communication antenna and the wireless chargingcoil.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be more apparent from the following detailed descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a side cross-sectional view of aconfiguration of an electronic device having a conventional antenna ofnon-contact near field communication and the wireless charging device;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a side cross-sectional view enlarging aportion denoted with ‘A’ in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an exploded perspective view of aconfiguration of an electronic device having a non-contact near fieldcommunication antenna and a wireless charging coil portion according toan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a perspective view of an assembledstate of the electronic device of FIG. 3 according to an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a side cross-sectional view of anassembled state of the electronic device of FIG. 3 according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a side cross-sectional view enlarging aportion denoted with ‘B’ in FIG. 5 according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an exploded perspective view of aconfiguration of an electronic device having a non-contact near fieldcommunication antenna and a wireless charging coil portion according toanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a perspective view of an assembledstate of the electronic device of FIG. 7 according to an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a side cross-sectional view of anassembled state of the electronic device of FIG. 7 according to anembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a side cross-sectional view enlarginga portion denoted with ‘C’ in FIG. 9 according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described indetail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Throughout thedrawings, the same drawing reference numerals will be understood torefer to the same elements, features and structures.

In the following description, specific details, such as detailedconfiguration and components, are merely provided to assist the overallunderstanding of certain embodiments of the present invention.Therefore, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art thatvarious changes and modifications of the embodiments described hereincan be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the presentinvention. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions andconstructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness.

FIGS. 3-7 illustrate a structure of an electronic device including anon-contact near field communication antenna and a wire charging coilportion according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The structure of an electronic device according to an embodiment of thepresent invention is described as follows with reference to FIGS. 3-5.FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an exploded perspective view of aconfiguration of an electronic device having a non-contact near fieldcommunication antenna and a wireless charging coil portion according toan embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustratinga perspective view of an assembled state of the electronic device ofFIG. 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is adiagram illustrating a side cross-sectional view of an assembled stateof the electronic device of FIG. 3 according to an embodiment of thepresent invention

Referring to FIGS. 3-5, the electronic device 10 includes a main body20, which includes a battery pack 21, a battery cover 22, a non-contactnear field communication antenna 30, and a wireless charging coilportion 40. The non-contact near field communication antenna 30 isdisposed on an inner side of the battery pack 21 in order to prevent theantenna 30 from overlapping with the wireless charging coil portion 40,as described in further detail herein below. The wireless charging coilportion 40 is disposed on the battery cover 22 around an outer peripheryof the antenna 30 in order to prevent the wireless charging coil portion40 from overlapping with the non-contact near filed communicationantenna 30.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the wirelesscharging coil portion 40 may further include a shielding portion 50disposed along the wireless charging coil portion 40 in order to preventthe interference between the non-contact near field communicationantenna 30 and the wireless charging coil portion 40, and to improve theperformance of the electronic device 10.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the non-contactnear field communication antenna 30 may use a frequency band rangingfrom 12 to 14 MHz, but may also operate in other frequency bands inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention. The wirelesscharging coil portion 40 may use a frequency band ranging from 100 KHzto 14 MHz, for example, but may operate in other frequency bands inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention.

The shielding portion 50 may be made of ferrite or a polymer material,for example, but other materials, such as polycarbonate, may be used inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the battery cover 22 includes a seating groove 22 afor seating the wireless charging coil portion 40 and the shieldingportion 50. A predetermined distance D1 is provided between the antenna30 and the wireless charging coil portion 40 so as to prevent theantenna 30 from overlapping with the wireless charging coil portion 40.

Operation of the electronic device 10 is described as follows withreference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a sidecross-sectional view enlarging a portion denoted with ‘B’ in FIG. 5according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the electronic device 10 includes the battery pack21 and the battery cover 22. The non-contact near field communicationantenna 30 is disposed on the inner side of the battery pack 21, whilethe wireless charging coil portion 40 is disposed along the outer sideof the battery cover 22. The wireless charging coil portion 40 is placedin the shielding portion 50 by insertion injection and in-molding. Theshielding portion 50 is formed along the contour of the wirelesscharging coil portion 40 by insertion injection and in-molding. Thewireless charging coil portion 40 and the shielding portion 50 areseated within the seating groove 22 a formed on the inner side of thebattery cover 22, so that they are coupled to the groove 22 a. In thisstate, while the battery cover 22 and the battery pack 21 are coupled toeach other, the wireless charging coil portion 40 is installed aroundthe outer periphery of the non-contact near field communication antenna30.

As shown in FIG. 6, the predetermined distance D1 is defined between thenon-contact near field communication antenna 30 and the wirelesscharging coil portion 40 in order to prevent the non-contact near fieldcommunication antenna 30 from overlapping with the wireless chargingcoils 40.

The non-contact near field communication antenna 30 may use a frequencyband ranging from 12 to 14 MHz, and the wireless charging coil portion40 may use a frequency band ranging from 100 KHz to 14 MHz, for example,but other frequency bands may be used in accordance with embodiments ofthe present invention. Use of each of the frequency bands is notaffected by use of the other, because the non-contact near fieldcommunication antenna 30 is spaced from the wireless charging coilportion 40 25 with the predetermined distance D1 in order to prevent thenon-contact near field communication antenna 30 from overlapping withthe wireless charging coil portion 40.

In this state, when the main body 20 of the electronic device 10approaches a reader of near field communication device (not shown)installed outside, the non-contact near field communication receivesantenna 30 a signal without any interference caused by the wirelesscharging coil portion 40.

In this way, the main body 20 of the electronic device receives desiredservices (e.g., a wireless authentication service, such as theelectronic liquidation and the identification (an entry authentication))through the non-contact near field communication antenna 30 withoutinterference caused by the wireless charging coil portion 40.

Also, as described with reference to FIG. 6, the main body 20 of theelectronic device approaches the wireless charger (not shown) when thebattery pack 21 included in the main body 20 of the electronic device iswirelessly charged. The wireless charging coil portion 40 included inthe battery cover 22 and the other wireless charging coil portion (notshown) included in the wireless charger produce electromagneticinduction current, so that the wireless charging coil portion 40 on thebattery cover 22 charges the battery pack 21 through use of the inducedcurrent. The wireless charging coil portion 40 on the battery cover 22is spaced from the non-contact near field communication antenna 30 bythe predetermined distance D1 and the wireless charging coil portion 40does not overlap the antenna 30, so that it is possible to charge thebattery pack 21 without the interference from the antenna 30.

As described herein above, the non-contact near field communicationantenna 30 and the wireless charging coil portion 40 are configured suchthat they do not overlap with each other on the main body 20 of theelectronic device 10, thereby preventing interference between theantenna 30 and the wireless charging coil portion 40. Thereby,recognition and performance of the non-contact near field communicationantenna 30 and the wireless charging coil portion 40 are improved.

The shielding portion 50 is formed along an exterior of the wirelesscharging coil portion 40 by insertion injection and in-molding, so thatthe shielding portion 50 is formed only along the wireless charging coilportion 40, in order to save the manufacturing costs with respect to theshielding portion 50.

The structure of an electronic device according to another embodiment ofthe present invention is described as follows with reference to FIGS.7-10.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an exploded perspective view of aconfiguration of an electronic device having a non-contact near fieldcommunication antenna and a wireless charging coil portion according toanother embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagramillustrating a perspective view of an assembled state of the electronicdevice of FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a sidecross-sectional view of an assembled state of the electronic device ofFIG. 7. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a side cross-sectional viewenlarging a portion denoted with ‘C’ in FIG. 9.

Referring to FIGS. 7-9, an electronic device 100 includes a main body110, which includes a battery pack 111, a battery cover 112, anon-contact near field communication antenna 120 and a wireless chargingcoil portion 130. The non-contact near field communication antenna 120is disposed on an inner side of the battery pack 111 in order to preventthe antenna 120 from overlapping with the wireless charging coilportions 130, as described in further detail herein below. The wirelesscharging coil portion 130 is disposed on the battery cover 112 inside ofthe antenna 120 in order to prevent the wireless charging coil portion130 from overlapping with the non-contact near filed communicationantenna 120.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the wirelesscharging coil portion 130 may further include a shielding portion 140disposed along the wireless charging coil portion 130, in order toprevent interference between the non-contact near field communicationantenna 120 and the wireless charging coil portion 130, in order improvethe performance of the electronic device 100.

The antenna 120 of non-contact near field communication may use afrequency band ranging from 12 to 14 MHz, for example, and the wirelesscharging coil portion 130 may use a frequency band ranging from 100 KHzto14 MHz, but other frequency bands may be used in accordance withembodiments of the present invention.

The shielding portion 140 may be made of ferrite or polymer material,but other materials (e.g., polycarbonate) may be used in accordance withembodiments of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9, the battery cover 112 includes a seating groove 112a for seating the wireless charging coil portion 130 and the shieldingportion 140. The non-contact near field communication antenna 120includes an inner hole 120 a therein to receive the wireless chargingcoil portion 130.

Operation of the electronic device 100 is described as follows withreference to FIGS. 9 and 10. Referring to FIG. 9, the electronic device100 includes the battery pack 111 and the battery cover 112. Thenon-contact near field communication antenna 120 is disposed on theinner side of the battery pack 21, while the wireless charging coilportion 130 is disposed on the battery cover 22. The shielding portion140 is included in the wireless charging coil portion 130 by insertioninjection and in-molding. The shielding portion 140 is formed along ashape of the wireless charging coil portion 130 by insertion injectionand in-molding. The wireless charging coil portion 130 and the shieldingportion 140 are seated within the seating groove 112 a formed on theinner side of the battery cover 112, so that they are coupled to theseating groove 112 a. In this state, while the battery cover 112 and thebattery pack are coupled to each other, the wireless charging coilportion 130 is installed within an inner hole 120 a of the non-contactnear field communication antenna 120.

As shown in FIG. 10, with the installation of the wireless charging coilportion 130 within the inner hole 120 a of the non-contact near fieldcommunication antenna 120, the antenna and the wireless charging coilportion 130 are configured not to overlap with each other.

The non-contact near field communication antenna 120 may use a frequencyband ranging from 12 to 14 MHz, and the wireless charging coil portion130 may use a frequency band ranging from 100 KHz to 14 MHz, forexample, but other bands may be used in accordance with embodiments ofthe present invention. Each of the frequency bands is not affected byuse of the other frequency band, since the wireless charging coilportion 130 is installed within the antenna 120 in a manner that doesnot overlap with the antenna 120.

In this state, when the main body 110 of the electronic deviceapproaches a reader of near field communication device (not shown)installed outside of the electronic device 100, the non-contact nearfield communication antenna 120 receives and transmits a signal withoutany interference from the wireless charging coil portion 130 that isinstalled within the antenna 120.

In this manner, the main body 110 of the electronic device receives adesired service (i.e., a wireless authentication service, such as theelectronic liquidation and device identification, such as an entryauthentication) through the non-contact near field communication antenna120 without interference from the wireless charging coil portion 130.

Also, as described with reference to FIG. 10, the main body 20 of theelectronic device approaches the wireless charger (not shown) when thebattery pack 111 included in the main body 110 of the electronic deviceis wirelessly charged. The wireless charging coil portion 130 includedin the battery cover 112 and the other wireless charging coil portion(not shown) included in the wireless charger (not shown) produceelectromagnetic induction current, so that the wireless charging coilportion 130 on the battery cover 112 charges the battery pack 111through use of the induced current. As the wireless charging coilportion 130 on the battery cover 112 is installed within the non-contactnear field communication antenna 120, the wireless charging coil portiondoes not overlap with the antenna 120, and thus it is possible toperform the charging operation without the interference from the antenna120.

As described herein above, the installation of the wireless chargingcoil portion 130 within the antenna 120 prevents the antenna 120 and thewireless charging coil portion 130 from overlapping with each other.Thereby, interference between the wireless charging coil portion 130 andthe antenna 120 is prevented, and recognition and performance of thenon-contact near field communication antenna 120 and the wirelesscharging coil portion 130 is improved.

The above-described electronic devices (i.e., the electronic device 10and the electronic device 100 of FIGS. 4 and 9, respectively) accordingto the embodiments of the present invention may be included in aportable terminal. However, the above-described electronic devices arenot limited to portable terminals, and may be applied to various othertypes of terminals.

Various types of terminals according to embodiments of the presentinvention include all types of mobile communication terminals operatingon the basis of the communication protocols corresponding to variouscommunication systems, all types of information and telecommunicationdevices, multimedia devices, and application devices thereof, such asMoving Picture Experts Group Audio Layer-3 (MP3) players, PortableMultimedia Players (PMPs), navigation devices, game devices, notebookcomputers, advertisement devices, televisions, digital broadcastingplayers, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), and smart phones.

While the present invention has been shown and described with referenceto certain embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilledin the art that various changes in form and details may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device comprising: a battery; anon-contact near field communication antenna; a wireless charging coil;and a case covering the battery, wherein the wireless charging coil ispositioned between the battery and the case, and wherein one of thenon-contact near field communication antenna and the wireless chargingcoil is positioned to surround the other one of the non-contact nearfield communication antenna and the wireless charging coil.
 2. Theelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the wireless charging coil ispositioned to surround the non-contact near field communication antenna.3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the non-contact near fieldcommunication antenna is positioned to surround the wireless chargingcoil.
 4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the non-contact nearfield communication antenna is positioned between the battery and thewireless charging coil.
 5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein thenon-contact near field communication antenna is spaced from the wirelesscharging coil by a predetermined distance to prevent an interferencebetween the non-contact near field communication antenna and thewireless charging coil.
 6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein thewireless charging coil is electrically connected to the electronicdevice.
 7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the non-contactnear field communication antenna is electrically connected to theelectronic device.
 8. The electronic device of claim 1, furthercomprising a shielding portion disposed along the wireless charging coiland having a shape corresponding to a shape of the wireless chargingcoil.
 9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the shielding portionis made from ferrite or a polymer.
 10. The electronic device of claim 8,wherein the case is formed with a seating groove for seating thewireless charging coil and the shielding portion.
 11. The electronicdevice of claim 1, wherein the non-contact near field communicationantenna uses frequency bands ranging from 12 to 14 MHz, and the wirelesscharging coil uses frequency bands ranging from 100 KHz to 14 MHz. 12.An electronic device comprising: a battery; a non-contact near fieldcommunication antenna; a wireless charging coil; and a case covering thebattery, wherein the wireless charging coil is positioned between thebattery and the case, wherein one of the non-contact near fieldcommunication antenna and the wireless charging coil is positioned tosurround the other one of the non-contact near field communicationantenna and the wireless charging coil, wherein the non-contact nearfield communication antenna is positioned between the battery and thewireless charging coil, and wherein the non-contact near fieldcommunication antenna is spaced from the wireless charging coil by apredetermined distance to prevent an interference between thenon-contact near field communication antenna and the wireless chargingcoil.